Chapter 11 – Part 1

There was once an emperor who could not see the tears of his empress.
 
He opened his granaries for the empress as she wept because her people were starving to death during a long drought.
 
Although there were many people in the empire suffering from drought, the wide open granary was for the Empress’s home country, the Kingdom of Joel.
 
The emperor never went to his office; he stayed there every day as if the Rose Palace, which he had given to the empress, were his home.
 
Most of the government affairs were left to the one and only crown prince, and he was busy playing around with the width of the empress’s skirt.
 
Neither the Empress, who bewitched the Emperor with her laughter and tears every day, nor the Emperor, who played with the Empress, who was merely a pawn from the kingdom, could be seen as nice by people.
 
The loyal subjects had long since turned their backs, and the treacherous subjects flattered and flattered the empress from a foreign country.
 
And the kingdom of Joel, which had been a friendly nation because it was the Empress’s native land, had invaded Eugenia.
 
It was the Empress’s doing; she had seduced the Emperor into giving away military secrets to her own country.
 
The Emperor covered for her even after he found out.
 
It was Crown Prince Heinrich who put an end to the dizzying situation.
 
Heinrich, who had been in charge of affairs from a young age, reorganized the army in his father’s absence.
 
Leading the charge, his first act was to storm the Rose Palace and behead his parents.
 
He then proceeded to crush the kingdom’s army and put the emperor’s crown on his own head.
 
“It’s a pity.”
 
Social circles were abuzz with the news that the crown prince, who hadn’t even come of age, had murdered his parents in tears.
Some people said that he was an immoral person who killed his parents, while others said that they felt sorry for him, considering how he felt after killing his biological parents.
 
Beatrice was one of the latter.
 
She felt very sorry for Heinrich, who had to choose betrayal for the sake of the empire.
 
This was even more so because she had met him a few times in social circles, and although he was a bit blunt, he was not rude.
 
“You will soon have a coronation ceremony and select an empress, right? ”
 
“I suppose so. He also broke off the engagement with the princess of Arbek.”
 
Perhaps because the empress is from a foreign country, the new empress would likely be chosen from among the nobles of the empire.
 
Beatrice was in talks with Count Salvatore, but they had not officially engaged yet.
 
Moreover, it seemed that Isaac Salvatore, the eldest son of Duke Salvatore, was meeting with a viscount’s daughter.
 
“I think My Lady would be the most suitable for the empress’s position… But I hope My Lady doesn’t become the empress. It’s quite scary.”
 
“Don’t say that. If she hadn’t made the decision, do you think we’d be this carefree?”
 
“That’s true.”
 
The maid seemed anxious, but Beatrice put down her needlework for a moment and thought of him.
 
Deep blue eyes under the silver hair with a soft sheen.
 
He was tall enough that she had to look up to see him, even though he was large for a young man his age.
 
“I wonder if she likes embroidery?”
 
Perhaps there are few young ladies more fit to be Empress than herself, the only daughter of the Duke of Travell.
 
She didn’t necessarily want to be Empress, but she couldn’t help but be curious.
 
It wasn’t long before she met Heinrich, the newly crowned Emperor.
 
Heinrich still wore his imperial crown, but his face was a shade darker than before.
 
It’s a cliché, but Beatrice thought he looked like a wounded young beast.
 
A man stood alone in an opulent ballroom, not even a smile on his face.
 
Heinrich was flanked by people who praised him for his accomplishments, but their gazes were cold.
 
He didn’t even give a glance to those around him, and he looked around.
 
And Beatrice, who was secretly glancing at him, ended up making eye contact with the cold blue wall.
 
At that moment, her heart pounded like never before.
 
Heinrich didn’t look away, and she felt her ears burning under his stare.
 
She didn’t know where she found the courage to be so bold.
 
She asked the young people she was talking with for permission and approached him cautiously.
 
As she approached the Emperor, those who surrounded him gave way at once.
 
“What is the matter?”
 
Heinrich, who had been staring at her, asked.
 
Beatrice hesitated a moment.
 
“I made eye contact with …….”
 
“…….”
 
“I thought I was too far away for you to ask me to dance…….”
 
It was a time when whalebone corsets were out of fashion and women’s household heads were no longer uncommon.
 
However, the unwritten rule that a gentleman should ask a lady to dance first hadn’t changed, so ladies who liked someone often expressed their feelings in this way.
 
Beatrice realized that all eyes were on them after she spoke.
 
She wonders if he’ll refuse or if he’ll say he didn’t mean to ask her to dance.
 
Just as she was feeling anxious, he came striding towards me.
 
“I never thought there would be someone who would want to dance with a murderer.”
 
“But you’re the hero who saved the empire.”
 
Beatrice replied, and Heinrich turned to stare at her.
 
Then he slowly took her hand in his. His lips were hot against the back of her hand.
 
The music began, but Heinrich did not speak; he only wrapped his hand around her waist and moved his body.
 
He was the first to ask her to dance, and Beatrice was at a loss for words throughout the dance.
 
“It wouldn’t be such an honorable position.”
 
Heinrich was the first to speak.
 
“Even if you don’t become Empress, you are still a duchess of the House of Travell.”
 
“…….”
 
“I doubt you’re into men who killed their parents.”
 
Heinrich said, as if making a bad joke. Beatrice hesitated, then spoke up.
 
“His Majesty had no choice in the matter.”
 
“Well, people say it could have ended as a tragedy.”
 
“…….”
 
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
 
Beatrice thought he seemed somehow melancholic as he uttered the last words, so she shook her head quickly and answered.
 
“I only wish to be of some small service to Your Majesty.”
 
Beatrice’s words made Heinrich silent again, as if to gauge her sincerity.
 
When the song ended, Beatrice hastily handed him her handkerchief and left.
 
Following her lead, several other young ladies approached Heinrich in a similar manner.
 
Heinrich asked them to dance, just as he had done with Beatrice.
 
But Beatrice was aware that his eyes were on her the entire time.
 
That night, back at the ducal residence, Beatrice could not sleep.
 
She remembered the unsmiling face and the cold, blunt voice.
 
The blue eyes that looked back at her seemed more sad than cruel.
 
She wanted to hold him close and comfort him.
 
‘It was affectionate.’
 
Despite his appearance, the hand around her waist and the gesture with which he led her were extremely gentle.
 
What about his gaze directed at her while dancing?
 
The more she thought about those eyes, the more her heart fluttered uncontrollably.
 
Beatrice, who is usually associated with genteel folks, had never encountered such raw intensity in a gaze.
 
Passionate, intense, filled with desire…
 
Beatrice clasped her flushed cheeks. His face wouldn’t leave her mind.
 
It was not long before a marriage proposal arrived from the Duke of Travell.
 
Beatrice hugged the Duke and jumped for joy.
 
The Duke looked a little worried but nodded as if he had expected it.
 
The wedding was hastily prepared and modest.
 
But Heinrich’s coronation ceremony was also conducted modestly; it didn’t bother her.
 
She was just thrilled that she wasn’t the only one feeling the excitement of the day.
 
‘I’ve done it in the mansion as well.’
 
It was unfortunate that there was no Empress Dowager to inform her of her duties, but Beatrice, who had been taking care of the house on behalf of her mother, who was recovering from her illness, did not think it was a big problem.
 
She was simply hopeful.
 
As a duke’s only daughter, Beatrice could do whatever she wanted, and she was loved by everyone.
 
But that excitement and anticipation shattered after the wedding, when they visited the mausoleum together.
 
Only members of the royal family, or those authorized by them, were allowed to enter the mausoleum.
 
The portrayal of the predecessors in the mausoleum was usually determined by their descendants, usually depicting their parents’ proudest moments.
 
But Emperor Edwin’s statue depicted him embracing his empress in fear. As if mocking him.
 
“I asked for it to be made like this.”
 
Heinrich looked at Beatrice, who looked bewildered.
 
He looked around the large room and began to explain the significance of the statue before the urn.
 
From the first emperor who first claimed Eugenia as an empire, to the conquering emperor who made more than half the continent his own, to the man who is said to have solved illiteracy and revived music and the arts.
 
He stopped in front of his parents.
 
The day had long since grown dark, and there was a strangely eerie atmosphere in the mausoleum where the dead were gathered.
 
“These are my parents. I cut their throats, and I’ll be busy cleaning up their mess.”
 
The empire’s name has long since fallen into disrepute due to the incompetence of the late emperor.
 
Since Edwin’s ascension to the throne, Eugenia’s territory has shrunk by nearly half, and its weakened state has been seized upon by those who would take advantage of the opportunity to invade.
 
“I don’t have time or leisure to play around with love. So don’t expect love from me.”